


Solace in Silence

by DraconicMusic



Category: Rockman X | Mega Man X
Genre: Comfort, F/M, Fluff, POV Female Character, Reploidsona, Sleeping Together, Sleepy Cuddles, Tickling, echo has a crush on axl
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-13
Updated: 2020-05-13
Packaged: 2021-03-02 23:40:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,389
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24165274
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DraconicMusic/pseuds/DraconicMusic
Summary: Axl and Echo are forced to spend the night in a cave after spending a whole day hunting Mavericks. Echo isn't exactly the fondest of having to seek shelter with someone else, but Axl knows how to cheer her up.
Relationships: Axl (Rockman)/Original Character(s), Axl/Echo (Rockman)





	Solace in Silence

**Author's Note:**

> This is a fanfic I finished a few days ago. I felt like writing some fluff involving Axl and my Reploidsona Echo, and it turned into this. I hope I did good characterizing Axl and keeping the tone consistent, but I hope you enjoy this short but sweet fic.
> 
> And yes, my Reploidsona has a crush on Axl because I'm Axl trash.

When Axl and Echo were assigned a mission to the quarry, spending the entire day hunting down Mavericks until nightfall and having to seek shelter to rest wasn’t quite what they had in mind.

But they had to make do with it, whether they liked it or not. Yet, they seemed to be fine with being cooped up in a cave.

Axl sat at the opposite side of where Echo was, the two Reploids separated from each other by a small fire they started to provide warmth and light. Even though Reploids had ventilation systems to keep them warm at all times so they can survive in even sub-zero temperatures, a little extra warmth from other external sources couldn’t hurt.

The young gunslinger reclined against the cave wall closest to him, briefly looking at Echo, who had her knees up to her chest, her arms wrapped around them, and her face partially buried in her legs. She was quiet as she was most of the time, barely saying a single word or making any attempts to start a conversation. It wasn’t that Echo wasn’t comfortable around Axl, she liked him a lot, they were very close. She was just quiet and anti-social by nature, even when she was first created.

“Never thought we’d spend the night in here together.” Axl said, still laying back against the cave wall.

“Yeah…” Echo replied, her voice croaking slightly due to how low she was speaking.

Axl noticed Echo’s current state. She didn’t look sad or depressed, but rather unsure. “Hey, you okay?” He asked the blue-haired hunter.

“Mm-hm…” Echo hummed, nodding. She expected Axl to say nothing and resume to reclining against the wall, but she was slightly surprised when she saw the gunslinger get up from where he was and walk over to her, and he sat down next to her.

Echo adjusted her position upon Axl sitting down beside her, so that her face wasn’t partially buried in her legs and she was sitting more upright. With Axl beside her, Echo began to feel warm, but this time not because of the fire.

Axl swung an arm around Echo’s shoulders, causing her to jolt a little. Axl grinned in a friendly manner, and Echo gave a small smile back. Even though she was cynical and pessimistic most of the time, seeing him smile filled the blue-haired Replied with hope, and gave her an energy that gave her the motivation to persevere through rough times.

“You know, I’ve already said this before, but…” Axl started, moving Echo a little closer. “you’re one of nicest guys I’ve ever met. I like spending time with you, even if it’s just for a little bit.”

A small blush formed on Echo’s cheek from hearing Axl’s words. “T-Thank you, Axl…” She complimented, despite hearing Axl say that kind of compliment before. “And so do I.” Echo wasn’t the type who would often spend time with others, but Axl was one of the few people she actually wanted to be around, even if it would use up most of her time that she would normally spend in her dorm.

Axl smiled at the last part of Echo’s speech, in a warm manner that was different from his usual cocky grin. “We’re probably gonna be here until morning, but everything will be okay. We’ll get through the night together.” He reassured, giving a brief wink.

Echo gave a small chuckle, her blush growing brighter, before moving over to hug Axl, catching him off-guard. She rested her head on his shoulder, leaning forward slightly as she did so due to her and Axl’s small height difference. Axl stayed still for a few moments while recovering from his surprise, before hugging Echo back. Although Echo won’t admit it out loud, she wanted to embrace the gunslinger forever. She wanted to cherish this moment for as long as they live.

After spending a few moments embracing Axl, Echo felt a little mischievous. She slowly moved one of her hands to Axl’s waist, careful so as to not let him notice her movement. With her hand near the gunslinger’s waist, she began scribbling her fingers on Axl’s hip to tickle him.

Axl jolted and froze upon feeling Echo’s fingers scribbling over his hip, and began to giggle. “Hehe, w-what are you d-doing, Echo?” He asked the taller Reploid, stammering due to his giggling.

“What does it look like I’m doing?” Echo replied in a sly tone, before going all out on his hips and stomach, scribbling her fingers all over said areas of Axl’s body.

Axl’s giggling turned into laughter, now laying down on the cave ground, effectively pinned down by Echo. “E-Echo, t-that tickles! S-Stop!” The young gunslinger pleaded, his laughter reverberating in the cave. Echo ignored Axl’s pleading, and instead continued tickling him.

After about a minute of Axl squealing and laughing and begging Echo to stop, the blue-haired Reploid finally pulled her fingers away from Axl’s stomach and hips. Axl breathed heavily, recovering from his laughter, relieved that the tickling was finally over.

“Oh, man…” Axl breathed, still recovering from laughing so much. Echo let out a small breath of laughter upon seeing this. “So, was that your first time being tickled?”

“Yeah, it felt very weird.” Axl answered, getting up from the ground so he was sitting upright. “I never thought I’d be ticklish. I might get you back, but I’m not telling you when.”

Echo chuckled. “Fair enough, you sly dog. But you do know that I have sensitive hearing, so I don’t think you’ll sneak on me that-“ She was suddenly cut off with a squeak when Axl moved over to her and began scribbling his own fingers over Echo’s stomach. She felt laughter building up in her throat, and looked up at Axl, who had the most mischievous grin on his face right now.

“What was that about you saying I wasn’t gonna sneak up on ya that easily?” Axl asked teasingly. It wasn’t long until Echo began to laugh, a bit harder than Axl did. Tickling was one of her worst weaknesses; her synthskin was rather sensitive, so it was easy for her to be tickled and become vulnerable to such treatment.

“A-Axl, s-stop!” Echo shrieked helplessly, laying on the ground. Axl simply giggled at her outcry. He even bent down to blow a raspberry on Echo’s belly, causing her to make a sound between a shriek and a laugh.

Axl continued to ruthlessly tickle Echo until a minute passed, before stopping. Echo, still laughing, but more softly this time, now red in the face due to her laughter and embarrassment, breathed heavily to recover.

“So, how was it for you to be tickled by a shapeshifter such as me?” Axl asked in a teasing voice. Echo continued to breathe heavily momentarily, before responding and sitting back up. “It’s just… I haven’t been tickled in a long time. I kinda forgot how sensitive I am…” She ended her sentence with a small laugh.

“Well, you seem to be even more sensitive than I am!” Axl commented matter-of-factly. He looked outside the entrance of the cave, and saw that the sky was dark with stars, indicating it was late in the night.

“We should probably sleep, it’s gettin’ late.” Axl turned his head back to Echo. “Agreed.” She replied, stretching before laying back down on the cold cave floor (cold was completely out of the question since Echo’s systems kept her warm at all times), with Axl following suit.

Axl adjusted his position so that he was laying on his side, and so did Echo. Though in her case, she moved closer to Axl until her head was resting on his chest, cuddling into it. Axl didn’t seem to mind, however. Instead, he wrapped an arm around where Echo’s shoulders were.

By now, Echo had a small smile on her face, beginning to drift off to sleep as she listened to the young gunslinger’s heartbeat. Axl smiled warmly from seeing the blue-haired hunter look so peaceful. It wasn’t long until he fell asleep with Echo by his side. The two hunters would sleep happy tonight, knowing they always had each other’s backs.

Even in the depths of Echo’s slumber, she secretly wished she could do this more often with Axl and her other friends.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you liked this fic. It isn't as long as some of my other stories, but I'm happy with how it turned out nonetheless. Constructive criticism is welcome.


End file.
